Eric Frein

Eric Matthew Frein (born May 3, 1983) is a captured American fugitive, formerly sought by federal and state authorities for the alleged ambush^[2] murder by firearms of Corporal Bryon K. Dickson II, an officer of the Pennsylvania State Police; and the alleged attempted murder of Trooper Alex Douglass, another state trooper in Pike County, Pennsylvania, on September 12, 2014. Frein is the 503rd person added to the Ten Most Wanted List of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).^[3][4] Frein was captured on the night of October 30, 2014 at an abandoned airport.

Background

Frein was born on May 3, 1983, in New Jersey. At Pocono Mountain High School, he was often a top scorer on his school's rifle team.^[5] He has been described by police as a "self-taught survivalist" with a grudge against law enforcement personnel.^[6] An early report citing friends who said that Frein was an Eagle Scout^[7] was repudiated by the CEO of the Boy Scouts of America Minsi Trails Council, where Frein had worked.^[8]

He attended East Stroudsburg University for one semester.^[9][10] He also attended Northampton Community College (the Bethlehem Township campus and the Monroe County campus).^[11]

In 2004, Frein was charged with burglary and grand larceny after he was accused of stealing items from vendors at a World War II reenactment in Odessa, New York. He failed to attend his trial and was arrested in Pennsylvania as a fugitive from justice.^[11] In lieu of $5,000 bail, Frein was held for 109 days in a county jail in New York on a felony charge before pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of stolen property to be sentenced to time served and payment of $3,120 restitution.^[12][13]

In 2008, Frein founded Istocni Vuk or "Eastern Wolf", whose Myspace page^[14] pictured Frein engaged in recreational military simulations as a Serbian soldier. Though he reenacted in a variety of roles, Frein preferred to portray Serbian soldiers. Fellow reenactors believed this was not based on ideology, but the way that the ragtag look of a Yugoslavian field jacket stood out from others.^[13] Pennsylvania State Police also believe that Frein made several trips to Southeast Europe. The Eastern Wolves were one of several groups competing in "tacticals" under the umbrella organization "Red Alliance", using replica airsoft rifles with plastic BBs. Frein was viewed as a serious reenactor with a deep knowledge of history, looking down on casual participants playing "cowboys and Indians", but having a sense of humor, not obsessive, for example choosing a cheaper Chinese-made replica airsoft rifle over one made in Yugoslavia.^[13]

Frein's reenactment landed him several employments in the film industry. He played a non-speaking role in Lustig, a 16-minute anti-Nazi film where he portrayed a German soldier at Auschwitz. In 2009 he gave technical direction in a World War I documentary being made by Jeremiah Hornbaker, who credited him for correcting errors in the set design and later offered him several other jobs that he turned down.^[13]

In July 2014, Frein told Hornbaker, friends, and parents that he was moving to Delaware to work at a chemical company. Police speculate that he might have taken this time to make the preparations that later would allow him to survive and evade capture.^[13]

At the time when Dickson and Douglass were shot, Frein was living with his parents at their home in Canadensis in Barrett Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.^[15][16][17]

Identification as a murder suspect

During a shift change late at night on September 12, 2014, outside the Troop R barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police in the Pocono Mountains in the Township of Blooming Grove, Pennsylvania, a sniper opened fire with a .308-caliber rifle,^[18] killing Corporal Bryon K. Dickson II, a 38-year-old Pennsylvania State Police Trooper; and critically injuring Trooper Alex Douglass.^[11][13][19]

Three days after the shootings, a man walking his dog found a 2001 Jeep Cherokee partially submerged in a retaining pond or drainage basin in a swamp near the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 402 and US Route 6, about 2 miles (3.2 km) away from the crime scene.^[13][19][20] The vehicle was determined to belong to Frein's parents, and evidence found in the vehicle included Frein's Social Security card, information about foreign embassies, camouflage paint, and bullet casings matched to the shooting.^[21] This led authorities to identify Frein as their only suspect.^[18][22] On September 16, 2014, a criminal complaint against Frein was docketed in the U.S. District Court in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the court issued an arrest warrant the next day.^[23]

Authorities speculate that Frein, driving with his lights off on Pennsylvania Route 402, had failed to see a T-junction and drove into the swamp, and then may have traveled 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) on foot to Canadensis, Pennsylvania, where his parents live.^[24]

Manhunt

On October 1, following discovery of two pipe bombs, all hunting and trapping on public or private land and all access to state gameland was forbidden in the shaded areas.^[25][26] The blue-shaded area was reopened on October 10.^[27][28] The green-shaded area was reopened October 21, after two sightings of Frein in Paradise Township, while the yellow remains under the hunting/trapping ban and gameland closures.^[29][30]

The police manhunt grew from nearly 200 officers by September 17^[22] to 400 officers by September 22^[31] to nearly 1000 on September 24.^[32] Law enforcement officers included local police, state police forces from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey,^[33] FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.^[31] Though tracking dogs were regarded as a valuable tool, particularly on damp, calm days when scent dissipates most slowly, Frein successfully evaded them using "water crossings and terrain conditions."^[34][35]

Equipment included numerous police vehicles,^[36] armored BearCats,^[24] at least four helicopters with thermal imaging equipment, and a 13,000-pound, $245,000 Ring Power armored siege vehicle dubbed "The Rook".^[21] The FBI displayed Frein's image and the number of a state police hotline (866-326-7256) using hundreds of digital billboards in Pennsylvania and five other states that are controlled by Outdoor Advertising Association of America.^[36][37][38]

Police believed they saw Frein several times during the manhunt, but each time were unable to approach directly due to the rugged terrain of the area, which allowed Frein to slip away. They believed Frein was taunting them, and Lt. Colonel George Bivens told reporters, "I almost think this is a game to him."^[32] A colleague from the MilSim group "Red Alliance" suggested that "If he's re-enacting anyone, it's Rambo from the very first movie," referring to the character of John Rambo in First Blood.^[39] The difficulty of capturing Frein was compared to that of finding other survivalist outdoorsmen such as Eric Rudolph, Troy James Knapp, Jason McVean, and Robert William Fisher, who were able to elude police for years by special training.^[40]

Local resident James Tully, who bears some resemblance to Frein and who walks to work in the area, says he was stopped more than 20 times by officers searching for Frein. He claims one officer pointed a rifle at him and forced him to the ground, leaving him with bruised ribs and in fear that he would be shot.^[41][42]

Capture

Frein was captured by U.S. Marshals in an open field near an unused airport hangar at Birchwood-Pocono Airpark, an abandoned airfield^[43] approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) ENE of Tannersville, on October 30, 2014, 48 days after the shooting.^[44] At the time of his arrest, he was not armed,^[45] but a .308-caliber rifle and a pistol were recovered. He was arrested without incident^[46][47] and was restrained using the handcuffs of the murdered officer.^[48][49] The day after his capture, he was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shooting that killed Dickson and wounded Douglass.^[50]

Although Frein did not resist arrest, he suffered a cut to the bridge of his nose, as well as a scrape over his left eye and bruises to his cheeks and eyes.^[51][52] The U.S. Marshals claim this occurred while he was lying on the ground during his arrest.^[52][53] The Pennsylvania State Police, however, claim these injuries occurred while he was on the run.^[54][55]

Legal developments

Frein faces 12 charges, including terrorism and first degree murder. He pleaded not guilty to all charges during his video arraignment on January 29, 2015. Prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty.^[56]

References